MAKING TAILS WAG
At nine years old, Angus Sansom is arguably Mangawhai’s youngest entrepreneur.
A dog lover all his life, Angus baked hundreds of handmade dog biscuits with help from his mum to sell at the local kids’ Christmas market in December 2024. After testing them on his own pup, Otis, Angus sold 160 “Oaties” biscuits in just three hours. He took the leftover biscuits to local cafés to sell.
Since then, Angus has been supplying four cafés and coffee carts around Mangawhai with his Oaties and restocking every 7-10 days. He has also secured stockists in Matakana and Waipu, as well as cafés in Remuera, Parnell, Takapuna, and Mission Bay.
“At the start it took a long time to make the Oaties, and my Mum helped me, but then we got some tools to make it go faster. We bake on the weekends, and sometimes after school, but now I have extra help because I’m getting a lot of orders,” Angus explains.
Made with oats, carrots, and peanut butter, Oaties are currently baked at home, though baking will soon need to shift to a bigger location. Angus wants to grow his business and is actively looking for more stockists across the country. He approaches all of the cafés himself, and any profits are invested into Sharesies.
“Since starting Oaties, I have learned more about maths and business. I’ve also learned how to talk to cafés about my business and sell Oaties. Sometimes I still get nervous speaking to businesses, but it’s really fun and exciting when they become a customer,” he says.
“Maybe when I’m 20, I’ll sell Oaties for one billion dollars, but for now I’d just love to see every dog in New Zealand get an Oaties treat when their owner visits a café.”